LOW PRICES OF FRUIT : THE CAUSE AND REMEDY. 



BY A NEW YORK COMMISSION MERCHANT. 



ULTIVATION of fruit in 

 this country has attain- 

 ed s u c li proportions 

 that, if we are to be- 

 lieve the statements of 

 some growers, it is no 

 longer profitable. If 

 this is true we should 

 investigate the cause, 

 and then like sensible men apply the remedy. The 

 cause of this depression in prices, I think, is the 

 production of such large quantities of poor fruit, 

 which must be sold for a price less than the cost of 

 production. Thousands of quarts of berries, tons 

 of unripe grapes, thousands of barrels of apples, 

 pears and quinces which are not fit for consumption 

 are sent to the market with the idea of getting some 

 price for them. 



Growers make a great mistake in shipping unripe 

 grapes to market, for when the market is stocked 

 with other varieties of ripe fruit there is but little 

 demand for the ripe grapes, and none for the unripe. 

 The continued shipping of the unripe grapes to mar- 

 ket has the effect of depressing the prices for a time 

 after the ripe grapes replace the unripe. If such 

 varieties as the Champion, Hartford and Elvira 

 were exterminated from our vineyards and only the 

 later varieties cultivated and allowed to ripen before 

 being picked, the grower would realize a greater 

 profit from his vineyard than he now does ; or if 

 those sour varieties were permitted to ripen it would 

 add to their value, as then they might be sold for 

 wine. But now each grower vies with the other to 

 get his grapes on the market first, and the conse- 

 quence is that the returns from the sale of the fruit 

 do not pay for the labor expended upon it. 



Premature, wormy and imperfect apples, pears, 

 etc., are an objectionable feature in the trade, and 

 the continued shipping of these fruits has the same 

 effect upon the market as in the case of unripe 

 grapes. It would unquestionably be far better to 

 keep this fruit at home and send to market only the 

 ripe and perfect kinds. Not only would better prices 

 be obtained, but the chance of having the fruit seized 

 by the agents of the Board of Health would be re- 

 duced to a minimum. Each year these agents seize 



large quantities of unripe fruit and there is no re- 

 dress for the shipper. 



During the strawberry season there are many 

 dealers from other cities whose business is to ship 

 to their home customers, and I have frequently 

 heard these men say that "although there are so 

 many berries in market, we cannot procure enough 

 desirable stock to fill our orders." 



The self-evident remedy is to plant less acres, to 

 devote more care to securing fruit of a better quality, 

 and cease shipping premature and unripe fruit to 

 market. Producers should remember that the taste 

 of consumers is becoming cultivated and now the 

 demand is for the best fruits. Each year it is more 

 difficult for dealers to dispose of the immense quan- 

 tities of inferior grades. To become a successful 

 cultivator one needs brains, energy, capital and a 

 large amount of patience and perseverance, in order 

 to overcome the many obstacles to be met with in 

 his business. Having succeeded in learning how to 

 produce good fruit, the next item is to learn how to 

 market it. One important feature is the selection 

 of proper packages for each variety ; for frequently 

 the form of a package is objectionable to the pur- 

 chasers, and one who aims at success in fruit culture 

 must meet the wants of purchasers. Of late years 

 the gift packages have become so popular that many 

 refuse to buy fruit in packages on which a deposit is 

 required. Choice fruit sells better in small gift pack- 

 ages than in larger ones. Some growers ship their 

 poor fruit in these small packages, thinking that if 

 the size of the package affects the price secured for 

 good fruit it will also help the price of the poor 

 stuff ; but that is a mistake. 



Another important item is to establish a reputa- 

 tion for giving honest weight and measure ; and to se- 

 cure this reputation, the grower must give the 

 packing of the fruit his personal attention, for some 

 employes think it folly to be so particular, and im- 

 agine they know how to do it as well as the em- 

 ployer, and do not hesitate to deceive the purchaser, 

 thinking that their employer will not find it out. 

 The result is that the brand is ruined without the 

 knowledge of the owner. Possibly the owner may 

 wonder why his fruit does not sell for its accus- 

 tomed price, and the receiver, supposing that the 



